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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

COPYRIGHT OFFICE. 

No registration of title of this book 
as a preliminary to copyright protec- 
tion has been found. 

Forwarded to Order Division 

(BateL 

(Apr. 5, 1901—5,000.) 0^9^ 




Book ,zjJg_ 



THE 

Altar in the Wilderness. 



AN ATTEMPT TO INTERPRET MAN'S SEVEN 
SPIRITUAL AGES. 



BY 

ETHELBERT JOHNSON. 



NEW YORK. 

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, 

Publishing Depabtment, 

244 Lenox Ave. 

1904 



fc? 






International Copyright, 1901. 

By The Metaphysical Publishing Co. 

All rights reserved. 



Copyright, 1904, 

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, 

Publishing Department* 



Received fro.-n 
Copyright O 



PREFACE. 

11 Where is the ultimate 
residence of the Self ?" asks 
Amiel ; and gives answer : 
"In thought; or, rather, in 
consciousness. But below 
consciousness as its germ, 
the 'punctum saliens' of spon- 
taneity, for consciousness 
is not primitive, it be- 
comes." 

With this introspective 
French philosopher, most 
students of Mysticism will 
unhesitatingly agree ; and 



postulating this germ of 
consciousness as the soul, 
of which the possibilities 
of growth are infinite, it 
will follow that the attend- 
ing expansion of the evolv- 
ing consciousness will also 
be infinite. 

Material evolution seems 
to have culminated in man, 
and his subsequent growth 
is wholly interior — an ever 
widening unfoldment of 
consciousness, which may 
be called a spiritual evolu- 
tion, with possibilities of 
ultimate attainment only 
dimly sensed by the facul- 
ties of the soul. 



The following brief chap- 
ters constitute an attempt 
to interpret certain well 
defined spiritual experi- 
ences which every soul is 
obliged to undergo in the 
course of its higher evolu- 
tion. They are steps which 
mark man's progress in his 
journey towards divinity, 
and their actuality must be 
apparent to everyone 
whose intuition is at all 
awakened. They may be 
called the seven spiritual 
ages of man, each mutation 
leading to a higher and 
fuller life, whereas in man's 
material seven ages, each 

5 



change brings him nearer 
to inevitable decay and 
death. 

When man awakens to a 
realization of the spiritual 
life, he becomes again as a 
little child. Entering the 
temple of humanity, he 
asks new questions and 
receives strange answers, 
which reveal to him the 
inner truths of Christianity 
and the other great world 
religions, explaining, as 
well, why mankind oc- 
casionally runs after 
strange gods, worshiping 
and craving excessive 
wealth, worldly power and 

6 



sensual pleasures — things 
which can only be gained 
by the downfall of his 
brothers, and which cloy in 
the having. They tell him, 
also, that when men and 
women become dissatisfied 
with the existing religious 
systems and social order, 
humanity has attained to 
a degree of spirituality 
where it has outgrown 
them, and that the time is 
then ripe for a turning to 
new ideals ; for a desire to 
be true, rather than to seem 
or to have ; a desire to give 
instead of to take ; to love 
instead of to hate ; to be 



brotherly, sympathetic, 
self-sacrificing, just. 

Upon the realization of 
these ideals depend the 
happiness and future wel- 
fare of the race. That it 
will attain to them and 
enter upon another Golden 
Age is the expectant dream 
of all well wishers of hu- 
manity. 



THE 
ALTAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 





CONTENTS. 




I. 


The Golden Age . 


PAGE 

13 


II. 


The Exile . . . 


27 


III. 


Life in Death . . 


42 


IV. 


The Conflict . . 


59 


V. 


The Wilderness . 


75 


VI. 


Illumination . . 


88 


VII. 


The Temple . „ 


102 



tt 




THE GOLDEN AGE 

11 Accuse not Nature — she hath 
done her part ; do then but thine." — 
Milton. 

THE Golden Ag e — 
strange, persistent, 
beautiful legend, that 
humanity in its childhood 
lived care-free under the 
loving guidance of heav- 
enly Fathers and Mothers 
who anticipated its every 
want, and who nurtured 
13 



with supernal fondness the 
sons and daughters of men. 

No story or fable is so 
universal as this ; it is the 
first chapter in every re- 
ligious history — the beau- 
tiful book of the beginnings 
in every sacred tome. 

Wondrous strange, as 
many thoughtful students 
have remarked, that the 
mythical traditions of al- 
most all nations place at 
the beginning of history a 
time of happiness and per- 
fection, a period "which has 
no features of savagery or 
barbarism into which the 
race afterwards descends 
14 



and from which it later 
evolves. 

Yet we can imagine how 
this vision came to the 
gentle seers of old ; how, 
reasoning by analogy from 
the highest and purest they 
knew in human life, they 
pictured infant man in the 
arms of h.s celestial par- 
ents, who, remaining with 
him through childhood, 
guided him lovingly to the 
hour when the human will 
become strong enough to 
battle with destiny, con- 
fident enough to resent 
interference, even though 
divine. And so to the rev- 
15 



erent mind it has never 
seemed unreasonable to 
suppose that before the 
soul started on its great 
pilgrimage from divinity 
back to divinity, the loving 
universal parents should 
have strengthened it for its 
journey, and parted with 
it in tender sorrow, yet 
knowing well that in the 
fulness of time the way- 
ward child would return, 
purified and uplifted by 
countless ages of experi- 
ence that would make it 
indeed a god among gods. 
To the student of Mysti- 
cism, however, an allegory 

16 



so general must have a 
deeper meaning. To him 
it symbolizes an eternal 
verity, an ever recurring 
act in the divine drama of 
the spiritual history of man. 
This drama begins at that 
stage of human evolution 
where the animal side of 
man is completely builded, 
when to it Nature in her 
gentle maternal or creative 
aspect has already per- 
formed the prologue ; for 
after aeons of endeavor she 
has fashioned a perfect an- 
imal. For untold millen- 
niums the divine Mother 
has brooded over the ocean 
17 



of matter, moulding- it into 
myriad forms, each one 
more lovely than the pre- 
ceeding, until at last she 
can say, " It is finished ; " 
for she has given birth to 
a being more wonderful in 
its potentialities than all 
the other efforts combined ; 
a being attuned to all her 
kingdoms, having within 
him the essence of them all. 
Further than this she can- 
not go ; she has created a 
perfect instrument, mar- 
velous in its latent possi- 
bilities, a beautiful fleshly 
temple, fitted to enshrine a 
god. But the within of this 

18 



temple is darkened ; the 
light of self-consciousness 
she cannot give. So with 
sadly tender pride she de- 
livers her handiwork to 
the infinite Father, and he 
recieves it joyously, for 
the hour has dawned for 
which the spiritual Hosts 
have waited — the creation 
of a material instrument 
through which they may 
contact and bring about 
the ultimate redemption of 
matter. 

Then to the world flock 
the little brothers and sis- 
ters of the Heavenly Host 
— entities who have sought 
19 



and earned the privilege of 
carrying to divine comple- 
tion the evolution of Na- 
ture's lower kingdoms. 
When they enter the bodies 
prepared for them, man 
first awakes to self-con- 
sciousness, for the Lord of 
Hosts has uttered to him 
the magic words, " Let there 
be light." Henceforth this 
light remains, the " light 
that lighteth every man that 
cometh into the world." It 
is the son of God within 
him, the link between him 
and divinity, without 
which he would return to 
the brute nature. 
20 



The Golden Age symbol- 
izes the state of conscious- 
ness in which the divine 
spark dwells after its first 
ensouling in a fleshly form, 
before it has become in- 
volved in matter and 
entered upon that great 
aggregate of lives, which 
forms the cycle of necessity 
through which it must pass 
in its evolution back to 
divinity. To the soul thus 
newly born the world seems 
a rarely beautiful place; all 
experiences are untried ; 
the thrill of the first earthly 
contact with its infinite 
suggestion of new sensa- 

21 



tions is upon it ; the sereni- 
ty of the skies is still within 
it ; the new born will quiv- 
ers with the promise of god- 
like power. It is ignorant 
as yet of the limitations of 
matter, and blindly eager 
for experience ; it is uncon- 
scious of the tortures which 
it is doomed to endure from 
these limitations. 

In this childlike condi- 
tion of negative purity it 
enjoys its greatest peace, 
for it has supreme faith in 
both spirit and matter, and 
a trustful confidence in its 
own potentialities. But the 
celestial Parents know th<* 

22 



weakness of their children, 
and to their aid send Elder 
Brothers, who have long 
before passed through these 
rounds of earthly experi- 
ences, and know the hard- 
ships and pitfalls of the 
way. These are the Christs 
and Saviours of all scrip- 
tures, whose mission it is 
to show the struggling soul 
its path of duty, and pre- 
vent it from being blinded 
and degraded by matter 
instead of carrying out its 
true destiny of regenerat- 
ing and ultimately redeem- 
ing the animal man. 

But over the evolving 
23 



soul gradually comes a con- 
sciousness of the grand- 
eur of its mission, and it 
chooses to work out its own 
fate unguided and unaided, 
for thus only can it be made 
strong and worthy of its 
divine destiny. Childhood 
is a happy, beautiful state, 
but few of us would care to 
remain forever children ; 
and as the heart of the 
child yearns for manhood, 
with its promise of free- 
dom and power, so does the 
soul long for divinity. 

Nevertheless it is not 
strange that the weary pil- 
grim, torn by the tumult 
24 



and conflict of life, baffled 
and deluded by the forces 
of evil, should look back 
upon the peaceful hours of 
childhood with tender long- 
ing, and recall with yearn- 
ing sadness the serene peri- 
od of the Golden Age which 
exists in the memory of the 
soul. Still few, indeed, are 
they who would give up the 
conflict and go back to 
the beginning, even if they 
could ; for so precious is the 
heritage of the soul's expe- 
rience that we cannot sur- 
render it even in return for 
Paradise. Moreover there 
dwells within the heart of 
25 



man an eternal promise, 
that the conflict is worth 
the while, and that the se- 
renity and j oy which follow 
it will be to the soul an- 
other Golden Age whose 
peace surpasseth under- 
standing. And so it is not 
the lost, but the regained 
Paradise to which we ever 
turn with longing eyes. 



» 



26 




THE EXILE 

' ' Banish me from Eden when you 
will, but first let me eat of the fruit 
of the Tree of Knowledge. " — Robert 
Ingersoll. 

WHY should the great 
arch-angel, who, ac- 
cording to the He- 
brew and Christian mysta- 
gogy was the first to leave 
Paradise to assist human- 
ity in its upward struggle, 
be regarded as an evil 
27 



spirit? He it was that first 
whispered to the new born 
soul a hint of its possibili- 
ties, and awakened in in- 
fant man an ideal and an 
aspiration to return to his 
birthright and become a 
god. 

Satan's mission was a 
holy one. The soul could 
not forever remain in its 
childhood ; the passive pu- 
rity of the Golden Age must 
end, and the strenuous spir- 
itual life begin, as no higher 
evolution would be possible 
to a being, inherently per- 
fect, who could accumulate 
neither merit nor demerit. 
28 



Many of us recall an hour 
in our childhood, when we 
heard from the lips of a 
grown-up friend a tale of 
heroic achievement or some 
stirring story, which awoke 
within us a faint percep- 
tion of our own potentiali- 
ties. We were never the 
same again : the play- 
things, which a short time 
before had made us su- 
premely happy, were cast 
aside and we longed for 
manhood and a larger 
world. Perhaps in after 
years we realized that this 
story was the greatest in- 
fluence that ever entered 
29 



our lives, and that it spur- 
red us to effort again and 
again renewed. For in the 
child as in the man there 
is no stimulation to en- 
deavor so strong as the 
discontent with one's self 
caused by a new ideal. 

Wise indeed is the soul 
to listen to Satan and to 
choose to become as a god 
knowing good and evil; to 
prefer torture and even 
seeming death to blind, im- 
becile obedience. Thus only 
can it fulfil its destiny, 
which is to uplift the mate- 
rial world through Wisdom 
and Love. We cannot re- 
30 



deem what we do not love, 
we cannot love what we do 
not know. Hence it is first 
necessary for the spiritual 
soul to know matter, to en- 
ter into it, suffer the limit- 
ations of form, and assim- 
ilate all the experiences 
which the contact with 
other forms can give. 

In time the soul will 
learn that this contact, 
with its resulting* attach- 
ment to material things, 
brings pain, and that noth- 
ing is so illusory as form. 
Then will it seek the within 
of matter; and here new 
and more illusive trials 
31 



await it, for within matter 
there is, as stated by Plato, 
a blind refractory force 
which resists the will of 
the Great Artificer. This 
force it is that is symbol- 
ized as Satan. It is the crea- 
tive fire ; the struggling, 
differentiating life seeking 
continual expression in 
form ; it is individual effort, 
liberty, independence. As 
a force it is as necessary to 
evolution as the opposite 
enfolding, ingathering love 
force of Christ ; yet it is a 
dangerous power for the 
infant soul to contact, for, 
through its ignorance, the 
32 



soul is in danger of being 
swept away by an energy 
so formidible instead of 
laying hold of it and using 
it as a means of advance- 
ment. If controlled by this 
force the soul comes under 
the dominion of Satan, who 
is the Opposer, the Tester, 
the Great Separator. 

It is through opposition 
that we become strong, 
hence we see that it is 
harder to withstand the 
degenerating influence of 
luxury than of poverty. A 
family or nation is not in 
greatest danger while poor 
and struggling, but when 

33 



it has acquired wealth and 
leisure, and succumbed to 
the subtle voluptuous temp- 
tations which these bring. 
Opposition means conflict, 
and to the soul conflict 
and pain mean progress. 
Therefore, "wealth is the 
severer test of the soul's en- 
durance; for wealth, alas, 
buys the semblance of 
greater things — the sem- 
blance of Love, the sem- 
blance of Pleasure, aye, 
even the semblance of Vir- 
tue can be wealth's for the 
asking, and it is so much 
easier to be satisfied with 
the readily-attained False 

34 



than to strive after the 
hard - earned True. The 
soul's most difficult task is 
to overcome the inertia re- 
sulting from the glamour 
of riches. For Dives is 
apt to believe he has con- 
quered the world and that 
nothing is worth contend- 
ing for save those things 
which gold can buy — pomp, 
power, and the swine's 
husks of sensual pleasures. 
But, as an innocent youth, 
led astray by evil com- 
panions, awakes from a 
drunken debauch overcome 
by the shameful conscious- 
ness of his degradation, so 

35 



ever and again is the mate- 
rially enslaved soul arous- 
ed from its thralldom and 
stupor ; and when the tu- 
mult of the revelers within 
is stilled, it hears the voice 
of the Elder Brother, who, 
during its abasement, has 
patiently stood without, 
knocking at the door. Then, 
if the soul has learned its 
lesson, it bids Him enter, 
and, conscious of its own 
defilement, as a repent- 
ant Magdalen, falls at His 
feet. 

To the proud and rich His 
first command is: "Take 
all thou hast and give it to 
36 



the poor." This is not a 
mandate to go out upon the 
highways and indiscrimi- 
nately give, but it means 
that the attachment to 
riches must be overcome 
before progress is possible ; 
and that we should regard 
wealth, whether of world's 
goods, or of intellectual or 
spiritual knowledge, as a 
sacred trust held for our 
poorer brethren, to be given 
freely to all the needy that, 
ask for it. 

When our attachment to 

material things has ceased, 

when we are no longer 

dependent upon them for 

37 



every sensation and pleas- 
ure, we can judge them at 
their true value, and love 
them for what they real- 
ly are — beautiful stepping- 
stones towards divinity. It 
is a false philosophy or 
religion that teaches men 
to hate the things of the 
world and of the flesh, for 
nothing exists which has 
not its proper use and pur- 
pose, and is, therefore, im- 
maculate in its natural- 
ness. The ignorant misuse 
of things and powers, in 
themselves pure and holy, 
causes the pain and sorrow 
we mistake for evil. 
38 



When we really know the 
material world, we learn 
to truly love it, and, loving, 
we try to serve and uplift. 
Then, too, we grasp the 
purpose of the angelic host 
in its descent into matter ; 
for, as an ancient mystic 
has said, "The angels as- 
pire to become men, be- 
cause the perfect man, the 
man-god, is above even the 
angels " ; and St. Paul wrote 
to his followers, " Know ye 
not that ye shall judge an- 
gels/' The perfect man is 
greater than the angels in 
his ability to serve his fel- 
low men, for through right 

39 



knowledge, and the com- 
passion that is born of this 
knowledge he is equipped 
above and beyond them in 
his capacity to uplift and 
redeem humanity. 

The law of self-sacrifice 
is the highest evolutionary 
law, and the only one by 
which the enlightened soul 
may hope to advance. In 
self-sacrifice alone lies true 
greatness ; in renunciation 
and service the only endur- 
ing bliss ; from this we can 
understand why one of the 
greatest souls, who worked 
consciously with this law 
said to his disciples, "He 
40 



that would be greatest 
amongst you, let him be 
the servant of all." 





Ill 



LIFE IN DEATH 

"Eager ye cleave to shadows, dote 
on dreams ; 
A false self in the midst ye plant, 
and make 
A world around which seems." 

— Edwin Arnold. 

THE beautiful Greek leg- 
end of Narcissus alle- 
gorizes the divine man 
enraptured with his own 
image reflected in matter. 
The fairest goddesses could 
not win his love, for within 
42 



the well of matter he dis- 
cerned a phantom being 
who answered his dream 
of attainment, and, though 
he knew it not, was himself. 
Musefully , day after day, he 
watched the lovely elusive 
vision, until, Pausanias 
tells us, he pined away from 
sheer desire, and, melting, 
became a part of the water 
in the well. 

This is the danger to the 
spiritual soul ; when it be- 
holds itself reflected in the 
great mirror of matter, it 
forgets its love for heavenly 
things, and, in futile desire, 
yearns for the phantasmal, 

43 



until it looses its identity 
in the sea of bitterness and 
becomes one with its great 
swirling waters. 

Much of humanity at 
present is so submerged. 
It is only here and there 
that we find a man with 
his head above the waves, 
and few indeed are those 
who, fully freed, walk upon 
the waters. Some have 
sunk so deep that they are 
unconscious of the serene 
glory of the sky, and if ex- 
posed to the spiritual sun 
would perish from com- 
plete dismay. 

But, upon the first call 

44 



of the struggling soul for 
help, the compassionate 
Elder Brothers of the race, 
those who walk upon the 
waters, bid the angry waves 
be still, and answer with 
tranquil assurance, " Be not 
afraid ;" we are near. None 
more fully than they com- 
prehend the fierce over- 
whelming attraction of 
this ocean of matter, and 
the inability of the inexpe- 
rienced soul to overcome 
its allurements. Even 
those who do not know of 
these Saviours are helped 
in a thousand untold ways, 
and indeed none need their 

45 



service so grievously as 
those who are so deeply 
enmeshed in materiality 
as to be entirely oblivious 
to the inner and upper 
planes of consciousness. 
Those who deny the Christ 
through ignorance and 
blindness are not exiled 
from the realm of compas- 
sion even though they are 
insensible of its existence ; 
for this incomprehension is 
due wholly to the density 
consequent upon the ulti- 
mate material experience 
of the evolving soul. And 
it is safer, truer and wiser 
to deny what does not ex- 
46 



ist for us, than to attempt 
to deceive ourselves or hyp- 
ocritically affirm what we 
do not believe. 

As long as the soul is dis- 
satisfied with its condition, 
it expands and follows the 
divine compulsion, because, 
to the soul, contentment 
with any state short of per- 
fection means stagnation. 
It is when the soul rests 
satisfied on any plane of 
experience that it is in 
peril, for such satisfaction 
is invariably the forerun- 
ner of pride, which proverb- 
ially goeth before a fall. 

Thus we see that those 

47 



who are satisfied with rich- 
es and power are proud and 
self-complacent ; the intel- 
lectual Pharisees, who are 
perfectly content with the 
learning of their day are ar- 
rogant and self-assertive ; 
the pseudo - virtuous are 
lofty with moral pride. This 
satisfaction and pride are 
the results of unassimi- 
lated experience, and will 
vanish before the first rays 
of spiritual illumination. 
So long as this enlighten- 
ment is absent, there is no 
excessive evil or pain in 
material existence, and the 
individuals are swept along 
48 



automatically with the evo- 
lutionary tide. It is with 
the dawning of soul con- 
sciousness and its resultant 
aspirations for a higher 
life that the inner conflict 
and suffering begin. 

The poet Coleridge, in his 
" Rime of the Ancient Mari- 
ner/' pictures with terrible 
vividness, the anguish and 
remorse of the man who 
awakens to a conscious- 
ness of his violation of the 
higher self. In a thought- 
less moment the Mariner 
killed the albatross, the 
bird of good omen. Almost 
immediately the retribu- 

49 



tive effect followed. The 
dead thing was hung about 
his neck, a constant re- 
minder of his sin, and soon 
from out the invisible came 
two fearful shapes, who 
gambled for his life. They 
were "Death" and "Life- 
in-Death, 5 ' and it was the 
latter, the more ghastly of 
the two, that won. From 
that time on, he endured 
agony unspeakable, and, 
with burning heart, wan- 
dered forth upon the earth 
until shriven by the good 
Hermit of the wood. 

No more wierd or pow- 
erful parable of a supreme 
50 



spiritual tragedy could be 
given, for the bird has ever 
been the symbol of the 
soul; and the man who kills 
or obscures his soul, will 
find himself henceforth the 
slave of "Life-in-Death." 

Life in Death, though 
a soulless man, lives and 
moves and gains the whole 
world what doth it profit 
him? Ever and always the 
thing that he has slain, 
the highest part of himself, 
hangs lifeless about him, 
and the time must come 
when the memory of it will 
torment him every hour. 
It is Love that he has killed, 
51 



and without Love we are 
dead ; without Love we 
cannot be redeemed, for 
Love is the soul's insepa- 
rable incarnate attribute, 
which imparts to it its 
divine potentiality. 

How many such corpses 
we pass upon the street. 
Men keenly alive in the 
lower world, but dead in 
the higher. They are usu- 
ally well satisfied with 
themselves, plentifully en- 
dowed with this world's 
goods, proudly conscious of 
their virtue, and important 
with the fact that they are 
not as other men. 
52 



To such, the Saviours and 
Elder Brothers of human- 
ity can bring no message, 
because the inner ear is 
deaf and the inner eye atro- 
phied. They must, there- 
fore, remain lifeless until 
the spiritual man accom- 
plishes his supreme mira- 
cle and brings the dead to 
life. 

Only humility, the result 
of well assimilated experi- 
ence, can give that recep- 
tivity of soul which the 
Christ can contact, and 
awakens the compassion- 
ate heart which unfolds the 
pathway of redemption, 

53 



first of itself, and then of 
those it touches. Thus are 
the Saviours compelled to 
go among " publicans and 
sinners," those who have 
drained the dregs of mate- 
rial existence, and learned 
they do not contain the 
bread of life, but only 
stones on which the soul 
will starve. 

All the evil and degrada- 
tion, the suffering and heart 
hunger, resulting from the 
deep descent of the soul 
into matter, are sublime 
necessities when viewed as 
part of the divine plan. 
Perhaps John Calvin caught 

54 



a glimpse of this when he 
said that sin was the neces- 
sary cause of the greatest 
good ; and the gentle Chan- 
ning when he wrote, that 
"Even in evil, the dark cloud 
which hangs over creation, 
we discern rays of light 
and hope, and gradually 
come to see in suffering 
and temptation proofs and 
instruments of the sub- 
limest purposes of wisdom 
and love." 

These material experi- 
ences are not useless trials, 
for aside from the knowl- 
edge which can be acquired 
only by sensation and con- 

55 



tact, they have a deeper 
intent, which is to mature, 
strengthen and individu- 
alize the will. " Willing, 
knowing and acting/' says 
a German mystic, "are ul- 
timately identical ; for we 
can only will what we 
know, and only know what 
we have experienced/' This 
corroborates the assertion 
of the French philosopher, 
Amiel, that instinct pre- 
cedes feeling, and feeling 
precedes will. 

With the birth of the 
Will, new and glorious pos- 
sibilities open to man. It 
is the precursor of god- 
56 



hood, the herald of ultimate 
divinity. 

When the Will is edu- 
cated and freed by knowl- 
edge from the entangle- 
ments of materiality and 
animalitv, new and noble 
virtues are formed; these 
are self-restraint, self-re- 
liance, self-control, self- 
direction. Then does the 
individual become a strong 
self-conscious centre of evo- 
lutionary force, and when 
united with divine Love all 
that he contacts are uplift- 
ed, for it is through the 
purified Will that regene- 
ration and redemption are 

57 



consumated. Moreover, the 
Will, through wisdom and 
aspiration, brings illumin- 
ation and the knowledge of 
hevenly things, by which 
our consciousness expands 
to the consciousness of God. 
Then all the possibilities of 
creation are opened before 
us, with a realization of the 
perfectibility of the divine 
plan and an ecstacy of soul 
which can but exclaim, 
" Not my will but Thine be 
done." 



58 




IV 

THE CONFLICT 
"Our work consists in taming, 
subduing, evangelizing and angeliz- 
ing the evil self and restoring har- 
mony with the good self. Salvation 
lies in abandoning the evil self in 
principle and in taking refuge with 
the other, the divine self; in accept- 
ing with courage and prayer the task 
of living with one's own demon and 
making it less and less a rebellious 
instrument of good. The Abel in us 
must labor for the salvation of the 
Cain." — Amiel. 

IN THEIR original purity 
all the great religious 
systems taught and 
urged the subjugation of 

59 



the senses. Such prepara- 
tion is absolutely essential, 
as no illumination is pos- 
sible until the will of the 
spiritual man controls and 
directs the man of sense. 
To gain this ascendency 
often enforces a long and 
weary inward conflict, 
which has been symbolized 
by Mystics as the War 
in Heaven — the Kingdom 
of Heaven being within 
us. 

While the struggle per- 
sists the individual may 
suffer untold agony, the 
duration of which will de- 
pend upon the development 
60 



of the neophyte ; for it will 
continue while the soul re- 
mains under the dominion 
of the lower man and clings 
to him even when con- 
vinced of his unworthiness 
to be her spouse. When 
she recoils from her degra- 
dation and aspires to be- 
come the bride of the higher 
self, when Love, the soul, 
unites with Wisdom, the 
spirit, the unequal Avar 
is ended. Then the sen- 
sual man ceases to battle 
against the inevitable, re- 
alizing that without the 
alliance of the soul the con- 
test is hopeless and pur- 

61 



poseless. In time, too, he 
will discover that what 
seemed a defeat was in 
reality a triumph, and with 
grateful heart he will swear 
allegiance to the higher 
self. Then is his day of 
salvation at hand, for as 
the retainer and ally of 
the spiritual man, new 
and wonderful possibilities 
await him, equaling in their 
consummation the estate 
of his Lord. Henceforth 
the pathway of his redemp- 
tion is strewn with the 
perfumed lilies of love ; the 
crown and the thorns, the 
instrument of his suffer- 
62 



ing 1 , are relinquished for- 
ever. 

Considering the nature 
and inevitableness of this 
warfare it is not strange 
that some pseudo-religion- 
ists, mistaking both the 
end to be achieved and 
the purport of the conflict, 
should pursue an austere 
asceticism, which regards 
the body as the enemy of 
the soul, or a sour puritan- 
ism, with a bigoted dis- 
taste for all that is beauti- 
ful and joyous. Such a 
forced opposition between 
spirit and body is not only 
unphilosophical, but una- 
63 



vailing; it is based upon 
a fundamental misconcep- 
tion of the nature of the 
contest and the real con- 
stitution of man. 

It has ever given rise to 
a narrowness and selfish- 
ness which accentuate the 
idea of separateness and 
coldunbrotherliness. From 
it the artificial virtue of 
" save-your-own-soulism " 
is born, and a distorted 
mental attitude which ab- 
hors all the sweet and 
comely things of life — the 
graces of womanhood, the 
prattle of innocent child- 
hood, the strong manhood 
64 



that labors with a laugh 
and a song- of joy. The 
lower nature may be sup- 
pressed by such a pervert- 
ed attitude; but the demon 
is still unchained within, 
and may find expression 
on another plane higher 
than the physical, where 
the soul will be less able to 
resist its power. 

The body is not the ad- 
versary of the soul, and 
should never be so regard- 
ed. Inert and beautiful, 
the body is the temple of 
the indwelling god, and 
is not to be held accounta- 
ble should it be profaned 
65 



by the " money changers" 
and the " sellers of sheep 
and oxen/' which in the 
New Testament personify 
the baser passions and de- 
sires. It is the duty of the 
Christ to drive these from 
within and to take posses- 
sion of the sanctuary in 
the name of the Father. 
Not until they have been 
redeemed should they be 
allowed to re-enter. Thus 
does the Mystic John have 
the Christ say, "All that 
ever came before me are 
thieves and robbers/' mean- 
ing that the lower passions 
hold unlawful occupancy 

66 



and sway over the body un- 
til Christ, its rightful lord, 
takes possession of his own. 
To the purified passion, 
the thief on the cross, he 
says, " To - morrow thou 
shalt be with me in Para- 
dise/' for Paradise like the 
Kingdom of Heaven is 
within us, and when a 
passion which once grati- 
fied us ceases to do so and 
causes suffering, it is the 
travail of a new birth, 
which may, if wisdom 
guides us, redeem that pas- 
sion and make it worthy 
to become the servant and 
companion of Christ. 
67 



The body is the hall of 
initiation wherein a man's 
soul is tried and strength- 
ened. Within it, the mas- 
ter, the mystic alchemist, 
takes all the baser elements 
and transmutes them into 
pure gold. Here experience 
is built into strength, and 
strength uplifted to virtue ; 
and it is by means of these 
virtues, which are often 
sublimated from the bas- 
est experiences, that the 
soul of man evolves to the 
highest. 

The first step then, of 
those who seek to live the 
higher life, is to let Love 

68 



rule supreme ; to leave no 
room in the soul for hate. 
To do this is to recognize 
the utility and beauty of 
all existence. " Love your 
enemies," say the Saviours, 
and we soon learn to know 
that our greatest enemies 
are the carnal passions and 
desires within us. " A man's 
worst foes are those of his 
own household." But it is 
not difficult to love these 
when we realize their past 
utility — that they have 
been the means of our 
evolutionary advancement 
and of our ascent from 
animality, for through sen- 
69 



sation they gave us experi- 
ence. But now we have 
learned the lesson, we have 
assimilated all that the 
passions in their lower as- 
pect can teach us ; what 
then are ^ve to do with 
them ? Are we to cast out 
or destroy an old servant, 
merely because his appa- 
rent usefulness is ended ? 
To do so will prove a fatal 
mistake, though this would 
be a much less difficult task 
than what is required of 
us, for it is far easier to 
destroy a passion than to 
purify it ; yet such purifi- 
cation is the evolutionary 
70 



function of the higher self, 
11 who comes not to judge 
but to save." 

As we advance every fac- 
ulty must be uplifted and 
trained to serve us on a 
higher level of manifesta- 
tion, for the opposite pole 
of every vice is a virtue 
into which that vice may 
be transmuted. 

Take covetousness, the 
cruel grasping passion, 
which is pre-eminently the 
vice of this competitive 
age. When it completely 
possesses a man there is 
no depth of selfishness or 
degradation to which he 
71 



may not descend. He may 
stand unmoved, steeped in 
luxury, while all around 
him are misery and want ; 
it may induce him to " cor- 
ner" one of the necessities 
of life, so that thousands 
of the poor will suffer for 
the lack of food or fuel, 
and all for something of 
"which he already has a 
superfluity, and which in 
reality can gain him noth- 
ing. But when the Light 
of the higher self and the 
Love of the soul is turned 
on this low aspect, all 
changes instantly, as our 
point of view is changed. 
72 



No longer do the material 
things of the world seem 
desirable. The narrow self, 
which has seemed so sepa- 
rate from our fellow men, 
enlarges and includes them 
also, for Ave realize that 
they are but an extension 
of ourselves. Though, as of 
old, we still long to have 
and to hold, the things Ave 
covet now are spiritual 
" treasures," and Ave desire 
them not only for our indi- 
vidual selves, but for our 
larger selves, which include 
our brother pilgrims also. 

As we expand interiorly, 
and redeem and regenerate 

73 



each vice and passion, we 
may awake to find that we 
have made a wonderful ad- 
vance in consciousness ; that 
we have raised our attach- 
ment from the heterogene- 
ous to the homogeneous ; 
from the differentiated — 
Satan — to the unity — God. 
Then may be vouchsafed to 
us a vision such as came to 
Arjuna, the Indian prince 
of old, and to Ezekial, his 
Hebrew peer, in which the 
Lord appears as a mighty 
Flame encompassing all — 
including all ; and we know 
that henceforth we can 
have no other God but Him. 

74 




V 



THE WILDERNESS 

" But lo ! an altar in the wilderness, 
And eagerly, yet feebly, lo ! he grasps 
The altar of the living God ! And thus 
Transfigured, with a meek and dread- 
less awe, 
A solemn hush of spirit, he beholds 
All things of terrible seeming !" 

— Coleridge, ' * Religio us Musings . ' ' 

WHEN the evolving 
soul has solved the 
riddle proposed to it 
by the sphinx of material 
existence, and the man, 

75 



through earnestness and 
fixity of purpose has suc- 
ceeded in mastering him- 
self, — in subduing and sub- 
liming all the passions and 
traits carried with him from 
animality , a mighty change 
has been wrought, which 
endures in him forever. In 
the humanity he has out- 
grown the senses domi- 
nated, and love and wisdom 
were fettered in the bonds 
of individuality, while in 
him love and wisdom rule 
and the animal man obeys. 
Yet, not all at once has 
this mastery been won ; 
ages have been spent in its 
76 



acquirement. Step by step 
has the soul pushed on- 
ward, but ever with an ideal 
in view "which it adored 
and desired to become. 
When it had conquered 
the grosser physical planes 
of being, it found beyond 
infinite gradations of sub- 
stance still to be contacted, 
lying between it and its 
goal, and experiences re- 
sulting from new and 
strange sensations to be 
analyzed and understood. 
It is this state of con- 
sciousness, lying between 
that of gross matter and 
pure spirit, which has been 

77 



allegorized as the " Wilder- 
ness " in which the soul 
wanders after it is freed 
from the "Bondage of 
Egypt," or materiality, 
and before it reaches the 
" Promised Land," or spir- 
itual state in which it is to 
dwell forever. 

Not altogether unfamiliar 
is the soul of man with the 
desolation of this Wilder- 
ness. He has trodden its 
lonely paths countless ages 
before, during the involu- 
tion of the divine spark 
into matter, when, as a 
child, he was sent from his 
Father's house. But, then, 
78 



he was not alone. Nature, 
his heavenly Mother, was 
with him. When he hun- 
gered, she fed him ; when 
the wild beasts prowled 
about, she hid him from 
them, and with her protec- 
ing arms around him, he 
trod the mazes of this wil- 
derness, and understood 
not its utter darkness and 
desolation. This is the in- 
ner meaning of the Hebrew 
poet's parable of Hagar and 
Ishmael. 

Now, in his spiritual 
manhood he must enter its 
solitude self-consciously 
and alone. With his own 

79 



arms he must hew his way 
through its density, study- 
ing and analyzing its con- 
stitution and qualities, in- 
vestigating and applying 
their uses and purposes. 

So strange is this forgot- 
ten country that to the soul 
newly entering it, it seems 
as a void. So long has it 
been since the eyes of the 
soul peered into its vistas, 
it is as though the light 
had never dawned — so long 
since the inner ear heard 
its cadences it would seem 
the silence had never been 
broken. In this stillness 
and darkness, man cannot 
80 



realize that everywhere 
about him stand his com- 
passionate Elder Brothers, 
waiting with ready hands 
to help him should he fall, 
and beyond is his Father 
waiting afar off to welcome 
home his prodigal son. 

For the time the way ap- 
pears utterly desolate; none 
of his earthly companions 
can accompany him here, 
neither his nearest and 
dearest nor his best be- 
loved. No comrade, friend 
or disciple, however sym- 
pathetic, can share with 
him the agony of this 
garden in the Wilderness, 

81 



where, in the silence and 
darkness, the subtle attrac- 
tions of the material world 
will make their final appeal 
to draw him back to them. 
Here each sense will bring 
the memory of its deepest 
allurement in its endeavor 
to again enslave him. Aye, 
his very virtues will be 
played upon. His love for 
his fellowmen, for wife and 
child will arise before him, 
calling him back with pite- 
ous, pleading voice. And 
ever at his elbow stands 
the Tempter, saying, "Can 
you leave these dear ones 
behind? Remember, for the 
82 



time, they cannot follow 
you. You will go on alone, 
aye, so alone that your very 
soul itself will not seem to 
be. You know the beauty 
of the country you are leav- 
ing — your friends, your 
kindred, all are there. 
These are yours now ; re- 
main with them and far 
more will I give you, for 
with your knowledge and 
power you may gain the 
whole world ! 

" But what of the way be- 
fore you ? Do you know 
aught of it save that it 
seems loveless and empty? 
Turn back before your suf- 



fering becomes unbearable. 
Though you endure agony 
here, beyond this lies tor- 
ture inconceivable ! If your 
soul falters in Gethsemane, 
how can you endure the 
agony of Golgotha !" 

If the spiritual man yields 
not, if he says to his tor- 
mentor, "Get thee behind 
me, Satan," and steps forth 
boldly into the darkness 
and the loneliness, they will 
be found the greatest of il- 
lusions, and the blackness 
will melt into soft grey 
tones that are both the twi- 
light of the material world 
and the dawn of the spirit- 
84 



ual. Then over the soul 
may come a gentle sadness 
so akin to joy as to be in- 
distinguishable, and to it 
the Silence speaks in a voice 
of tender melody, which 
seems the voice of his 
mother Hagar again call- 
ing her child in the Wil- 
derness. Once more he 
has become as a little 
child in the arms of his 
divine Mother, and his 
Father, whom both love 
beyond all else, calls them 
again to his House, and 
says, aye, ever so ten- 
derly, " Henceforth you 
shall leave me no more ; 
8s 



henceforth we Three are 
One." 

When he has seen this 
vision and knows it to be 
an inner verity, what mat- 
ters the crucifixion or the 
agony of Golgotha to him ! 
Calmly and serenely he goes 
forth to meet it, yes, even 
to welcome it, for ever be- 
fore him are the arms of his 
heavenly Mother beckon- 
ing him to her, and he 
knows that his Father is 
preparing a great feast to 
rejoice at his return. 
Though for a time physical 
torture obscures this pic- 
ture, and the lower man 

86 



cries out in agony, " My 
God, why hast thou for- 
saken me," yet within, the 
spiritual man knows that 
this desertion is only in the 
seeming, and not for a 
moment has he been alone. 
For above and around him 
stand his Elder Brothers 
and Sisters of the Host, 
glorying in his victory, and 
singing in rapturous cho- 
rus, " Lo, it is consum- 
mated !" 



m^ 



87 




VI 

ILLUMINATION 

"The wrongs of others wound the 
Son of God, and the stripes of others 
fall on his flesh. He is smitten with 
the pains of all creatures, and his 
heart is pierced with their wounds. 
There is no offense done and he suf- 
fers not, nor any wrong and he is not 
hurt thereby. For his heart is in the 
breast of every creature, and his blood 
in the veins of all flesh. For to know 
perfectly is to love perfectly, and so 
to love is to be partaker in the pain 
of the beloved." — Anna Kingsford. 

OVER the world to-day 
is the hush of expect- 
ancy. Satiated with 
the things they have, wea- 
88 



ried of selfishness and the 
worship of Mammon, it 
would seem that men again 
await the coming of one 
who will say, " Behold, I 
make all things new." The 
race seems to have trans- 
cended the old vibratory 
rate of growth, and is reach- 
ing out with hungry heart 
for a new pulsation which 
will impart a divine thrill 
responsive to the higher 
ideal of the evolving soul. 
There is some subtle pow- 
er drawing men closer to- 
gether ; they long to be en 
rapport with each other, to 
feel the close touch of com- 
89 



radeship and sympathy. 
Never before have there 
been so many fraternal 
organizations, with high, 
altruistic aims, appealing 
for support through the 
very unselfishness of their 
ideals. Nor is this all, for, 
as Herron remarks, " Men 
are no longer content to 
have while their brothers 
have not. The physical 
misery of the world's dis- 
inherited is becoming the 
spiritual misery of the 
world's elect." 

Brotherhood and co-op- 
eration, two words used 
until recently only in the 
90 



dreamland of Utopia, are 
to-day living, breathing 
conceptions which all ex- 
pect will soon become ac- 
tualities. The more en- 
lightened of the race are 
formulating a new social 
order in which all shall 
enjoy an absolute physical 
and spiritual equality. As 
Lafcaido Hearn expresses 
it, " the horizon of human 
fellowship has expanded 
for us with each acquisition 
of spiritual knowledge, as 
the sky circle expands to 
those who climb a great 
height." This is, indeed, 
an era of transition, marked 
91 



by an ever deepening dis- 
content with present con- 
ditions and an equally in- 
creasing hopefulness in the 
future. It is caused by the 
culmination of a period in 
racial evolution — a period 
in which the inner perfec- 
tion, "which has been the 
purpose and goal of the dif- 
ferentiation of spiritual sub- 
stance has been attained, 
and the divinely illumined 
soul is seeking to express 
and apply the Love and 
Wisdom gained through 
countless ages of combat, 
trial and suffering. It is 
impossible to further ex- 
92 



press these divine qualities 
through individualism ; 
hence they seek expression 
in Altruism, which is the 
outward manifestation of 
an invisible spiritual proc- 
ess, — a recall or inbreath- 
ing of the perfected units 
to their original state of 
homogenity. 

The mystic personifica- 
tion of the principle causing 
this recall, which pervades 
the whole universe and 
labors unceasingly to uplift 
it to an exalted unity of 
consciousness, is the Christ. 
It is not an attribute insep- 
arable from any personal- 

93 



ity coming out of Nazareth, 
India or elsewhere. It is 
an omnipresent leaven 
transcending all personal- 
ities, but latent or active 
in all. 

Christ is the enfolder and 
the gatherer. Hence we 
find him symbolized as the 
shepherd gathering togeth- 
er his flock, and bringing 
them within one fold. In 
humanity this principle ex- 
presses itself in all that 
draws men unselfishly to- 
gether in the perfect mar- 
riage, the perfect family, 
the perfect church and 
state. It makes man, be- 

94 



yond all else, a social be- 
ing, intuitively reaching 
out to pour upon others the 
Love that is in him. Thus 
Ave can understand that, 
unless their retirement is 
undertaken temporarily 
for some definite purpose, 
the recluse and anchorite 
lead the most unchristlike 
of lives, for Christ is th^ 
facilitator of unity and not 
of separateness, and hence 
manifests himself in loving 
and helpful contact with 
one's fellowmen and not in 
any form of exclusiveness. 
Before man can perfectly 
exemplify this principle 

95 



within himself, he must 
have first developed what 
has been called the cosmic 
consciousness. In other 
words, he must have awak- 
ened to an inner apprecia- 
tion of the whole, a sym- 
pathy and breadth of 
charity which can exclude 
nothing. His love should 
enfold the lowest and vilest 
as well as the highest and 
purest ; no one should be 
too insignificant or too im- 
portant to be rejected of 
his heart or his service. 
He must understand the 
place of everything in the 
divine economy, and that 
9 6 



in it nothing can be either 
small or great. He must 
become in perfect accord 
with his mother, Nature, 
and his father, Spirit, and 
recognize the purpose of 
change and the good which 
is the goal of the divine 
restlessness of God. He 
must grow infinitely re- 
sponsive to all the sorrows 
of his fellowmen, as well 
as to their joys, at the same 
time understanding the 
purport of their sorrows 
and j oy s and realizing their 
transientness. 

Whitman accurately re- 
flects the possession of this 

97 



cosmic consciousness in 
these lines of " Chanting the 
Square Deific :" 

"All sorrow, labor, suffering, I, 
tallying it, absorb in myself. 

"Many times have I been rejected, 
taunted, put in prison, crucified, and 
many times shall be again. 

"All the world have I given up 
for my dear brothers' and sisters' sake, 
for the soul's sake, 

"Wending my way through the 
homes of men, rich or poor, with the 
kiss of affection. 

' ' For I am Affection, I am the 
cheer-bringing God, with hope and 
all-enclosing charity/' 

This is the state of con- 
sciousness attained bv the 
98 



Illuminati, those superb 
souls, Masters of Wisdom 
and Compassion, in whom 
the divine light shines in 
all its effulgence. They are 
the beacon fires for the rest 
of humanity, driving the 
darkness of ignorance and 
doubt back to its original 
abyss of nothingness, and 
giving to the world a radi- 
ancy which brightens the 
path of their younger broth- 
ers. They are co-workers 
with the divine in Nature, 
and as the divine essence 
manifests by ever giving of 
itself, so they, its servants 
and instruments, find their 

99 



supremest joy in renuncia- 
tion and service. 

Through their attain- 
ment we can realize the 
possibilities and purposes 
of the Christ life and effort. 
It aims to merge and blend 
the perfected individual 
wills into one mighty will, 
which is in very truth 
the will of God, raising, 
strengthening and revivi- 
fying the whole world. 
Every generous act assists 
in this work ; every selfish 
act or thought retards it ; 
for truly it is only through 
Christ that we become one 
with God ; only through 

IOO 



surrendering ourselves in 
service to each other, and 
thus helping to bring about 
this inner unity which will 
find outward expression in 
a brotherhood of love, peace 
and good -will to men on 
earth. 



IOI 




%ii i MM 




VII 

THE TEMPLE 

f ' Give me, O God, to sing that thought, 

Give me, give him or her I love, this 
quenchless faith, 

In Thy ensemble ; whatever else with- 
held, withhold not from us 

Belief in plan of Thee enclosed in 
Time and Space, 

Health, peace, salvation universal." 

— Whitman. 

WHAT of the destiny 
of the soul ? With 
our inner eyes and 
the aid of what seems awak- 
ened memory, we may be- 

IO* 



hold the eternal drama of 
the individual soul unfold 
in all its beautiful com- 
pleteness. 

Beginning with the Gold- 
en Age of its infancy, when 
it reposes happily in the 
arms of its divine Parents, 
there follow the wayward 
scenes of its youth, when it 
yields to the allurements 
of sense, and becomes a vol- 
untary exile from its Fa- 
ther's house. Then occurs 
the supreme tragedy — the 
soul's deep descent into 
materiality, the " darkness 
of Egypt," where it is held 
in a bondage from which 
103 



it longs to escape, in this 
period of agony, it gradu- 
ally turns its face upward 
instead of downward, and 
the divinity to which it now 
aspires comes to its aid, and 
leads it from the land of 
its slavery and degradation. 
Though pursued and over- 
taken again and again by 
its task-masters, and con- 
flict after conflict follow, 
yet under the guidance of 
the divine man, it is always 
victorious and escapes at 
length into the Wilderness, 
where take place its final 
wandering, trial and tempt- 
ation. These are succeeded 
104 



by the crucifixion, death, 
burial and resurrection of 
the lower man, and the 
drama closes with the 
apotheosis of the soul, its 
assumption with the re- 
generate lower man into 
the divine man, the three 
in one forming the perfected 
individuality which be- 
comes again as a little child, 
"wise as the serpent and 
harmless as the dove." Re- 
posing in the arms of the 
divine Father-Mother, this 
heavenly child enjoys a 
second Golden Age, whose 
bliss is as far above that of 
the first as positive virtue 
105 



is above negative purity or 
as wisdom is above igno- 
rance. 

But what of the beyond ? 
The divine within us whis- 
pers ever of the beyond. It 
speaks as authoritively of 
the future as memory does 
of the past, for the divine 
spark is a reflection of that 
to which nothing is veiled, 
and by it we " behold as in 
a glass the glory of the 
Lord, and are changed in 
the same image from glory 
to glory." 

As the reward and joy of 
virtue lie only in its own 
exercise, the divinely per- 

106 



feet man can never be con- 
tent with spiritual indo- 
lence ; the love which wells 
up within him must find 
expression in eternal serv- 
ice. So, for a time, he again 
leaves the abode of his ce- 
lestial parents to labor in 
their vineyards, though 
never again will the bliss 
of the Golden Age depart 
from his consciousness. 

He has learned that he 
must manifest his love for 
those below him in the scale 
of evolution according to 
divine law or more harm 
than good may result ; thus 
to him a complete knowl- 
107 



edge of the divine plan be- 
comes an absolute neces- 
sity that he may work in 
harmony with eternal law, 
and not injure those whom 
he most strives to serve. 

With the emerging of the 
soul beyond the individual- 
ity comes a grouping to- 
gether of souls into hier- 
archies or bodies of similar 
aspiration. In this unifica- 
tion there occurs also a 
transmution, forming in a 
sense larger individualities 
which find outer expression 
in the national traits and 
ideals of various peoples, 
and beyond the nations, in 

108 



the religious systems which 
make states akin. The 
divine man comprehends 
these hierarchial relation- 
ships, and, realizing their 
immense import, it is 
through them that he 
works. 

The directors and rulers 
of the hierarchies form col- 
lectively a great spiritual 
body which has been called 
by Mystics the " Lodge of 
Masters " or the " Invisible 
Church. " In the Christian 
scriptures they are referred 
to as the "Elect." The mem- 
bers of this great body have 
reached the supreme de- 
109 



grees of attainment, not 
through any celestial favor- 
itism, but by endless en- 
deavor and evolutionary 
right. What they are, we 
also may become. Their 
duties do not lie beyond 
this world, but are insepa- 
rable from it; for, as has 
been truthfully said by the 
Rev. Charles Beecher, " the 
E lect symbolize an invisible 
spiritual order, inspiring 
worship, illumining science, 
controlling legislation, 
idealizing the society, per- 
fecting the health of the 
reincarnate race of men." 
The Invisible Church 

no 



manifests itself in the most 
spiritual aspect of the re- 
ligions of all people. It 
gives to the outer world 
interior truths wrapped in 
symbol and ceremony so 
that the less developed 
souls may gradually be led 
to their acceptance. We 
can thus understand why 
all Mystics have urged the 
people to revere the religion 
in which they are born, for 
it is to them the standpoint 
from which the interior 
journey can be mostquickly 
and safely made. 

The Masters are the true 
missionaries pointing out 
in 



to those among whom they 
are sent the spiritual truths 
which lie hidden in their 
own religion, so that, though 
each man recognizes it as 
his own, it has taken on a 
new meaning and an added 
glory, leading him higher 
in the realm of aspira- 
tion. 

When, from the religion 
of a people the spiritual life 
departs, and the worship of 
Mammon is substituted for 
the worship of God, the 
time is propitious for the 
Invisible Church to send to 
the world One who will 
feed with the bread of life 

112 



the soul-starved children of 
men. Such a time is the 
present, and all over the 
world to-day the eager 
hearts of humanity are 
searching the heavens for 
the star that shall herald 
His coming. Those who 
are ready to receive Him 
shall find it, and what more 
glorious assurance can 
come to the soul of man 
than the knowledge that his 
Redeemer liveth ? 

Within the spiritual cen- 
tre of the world is a sanc- 
tuary of which the Invisible 
Church is the custodian. 
Around its altar stand those 
113 



strong*, serene souls whom 
nothing can daunt, for the 
protection of this sanctuary 
is the supreme duty to 
which the Masters are con- 
secrated. Within its Holy 
of Holies is the mighty 
Heart of the world, whose 
pulsations are Love, Light 
and Warmth. Near it no 
evil may come, and the 
impure who approach it 
would be consumed as with 
a fire. 

Though few of us, indeed, 
are destined to become the 
Guardians of the Heart, 
nevertheless may w.e all 
assist in building the Tem- 
114 



pie which is to protect its 
sanctuary. 

Each one of us may be- 
come a stone within the 
Temple walls, though many 
are too rough hewn as yet 
to be of service, for the 
stones must fit perfectly 
one with another and be 
cemented together by Love 
until they seem as though 
carved from a solid rock. 

Then, though the forces 
of darkness and evil buffet 
the Temple, and the satanic 
hre is hurled against its 
walls, it cannot be shaken, 
and the Heart of the world 
is safe. 

"5 



And when in the ages to 
come there emerges from 
this Temple another hu- 
manity, who can imagine 
its glory and the mighty 
works it will do? For, if 
with hate and selfishness 
and unbrotherliness in the 
world, man has accom- 
plished so much, who can 
dream of the heights he 
may attain when these 
hindrances are no more? 
Nay, who but the dreamer 
can dream of them? 

And if we are told that 
the faith which beholds a 
perfected humanity living 
in a perfect world is chi- 

116 



merical, what then? What 
better answer can we make 
than that of Whitman : 

1 * Is it a dream ? 

Nay, but the lack of it a dream, 

And failing it, life's lore and wealth a 

dream, 
And all the world a dream." 



ii? 



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